Crash

Crash from Paul Haggis, the writer/director/creator of above-average, quickly cancelled television series like EZ Streets and The Black Donnellys, comes Crash, one of the best films of 2005. The films centers around the intersecting lives of (mostly) compelling people in Los Angeles, all of whom are effected negatively by racism. Most of the film is great. Matt Dillon, Ludacris, Thandie Newton and Terrence Howard are all excellent, and the parts of the film that revolve around their characters (and those who relate to them, but are less interesting themselves) are why the film deserved the best picture Oscar it recieved. The other half of the film, centering around Sandra Bullock, Brendan Fraser, Michael Pena and a Persian store owner (I do not know the name of the actor that plays him) is not as well written and is therefore not as interesting. Don Cheadle and Jennifer's Esposito's parts aren't too fascinating either. So, for the two hours you put in, you get an excellent hour and a mediocre hour back. It's enough to give it a recomendation. Some Storylines Are Weak By Comparison. Good points are the writing, acting overall, Mark Isham's music.

Haggis' big screen debut rightly earnt this an Oscar, as it attempts to cover ground largely avoided by tinseltown, namely that of systemic racism in LA (read American) life. Covering a variety of professions and attitudes as well as a diversity of ethnic representations, this was a bold venture that is brilliantly brought to life thanks to a number of key attributes.

First, Haggis' breathtaking dialogue and clever plot work make this set of interwoven stories link with real panache. How the story unfolds is anything but predictable, and how pretty much each of the significant characters (and you'd argue that there are 7 or 8 very strong characters here) develops plausibly and interestingly along the film's journey.

Added to which is the calibre of acting talent on show, which I think is the ingredient that moves this up a notch from a fine film to an astounding one. I profess to finding the portrayal of their characters by Don Cheadle and Matt Dillon to be among their finest work, but elsewhere in a fine cast there are truly memorable performances, Haggis somehow contrives to allow each character to shine with only a limited overall percentage of screentime.

The third element is the directorship itself which somehow allows a bleak mood to descend at the right moments, depicting or perhaps even representing the smog-infested lives of those being portrayed. Some nicely shot scenes and good use of pace perhaps slightly influenced by Tarrantino (my guess).

Finally, and this is the clincher for me, is the fact that the script and the overall storyline allows me, the viewer, to make up my mind about this. I'm the one who is asked to think, to judge, to debate; I'm not being told how to feel by anyone, nor is the outcome sugar-coated to make me feel good.

This is a gritty, dark, brilliantly-conceived and fantastically-constructed piece of work; it portrays a dark corner of humanity that the art world does not traditionally handle very well, and it does it in a robust, thought-provoking and thoroughly entertaining way.

Whatever awards or plaudits this film received, they were richly deserved.

Crash is a film you don't want to miss. It makes you think about the society you live in and the twisted and prejudiced mentality of some people that belong to it.

Crash was the Oscar winning film of 2005.

<< Cast >>

Karina Arroyave ... Elizabeth

Dato Bakhtadze ... Lucien

Sandra Bullock ... Jean Cabot

Don Cheadle ... Det. Graham Waters

Art Chudabala ... Ken Ho

Sean Cory ... Motorcycle Cop

Tony Danza ... Fred

Keith David ... Lt. Dixon

Loretta Devine ... Shaniqua Johnson

Matt Dillon ... Officer John Ryan

The film essentially deals with an uncomfortable subject, racism and tackles head on with many interweaving storylines which end up coming together in the end. We see many situations which define racial stereotypes and show what effect they have. They show both victim and purporter's of racism and show in effect they are all formed from illogical experiences. One of the most powerful sub-plots involves Matt Dillon's character, Officer John Ryan, coming full circle and in his experience with a black couple. He firstly stops a black couple in a car. He accuses them of many crimes which they do not commit and when the women confronts the Officer, he orders a full body search for reported firearms. This is a very uncomfortable experience for her and the officer appears to abuse his position. He makes both the women and her husband feel inferior to him. This later results in increased tension between both husband and wife over this incident and a frank discussion of power and authority of senior black people in comparison of those respective white people. This is a powerful scene and engages the viewer with an emotive and sometimes controversial subjects.

Without giving away too much of the plot, we see a role reversal of positions between the officer and Karina Arroyave's character in which she must make a life-saving decision in regard to a man who in effect abused her. This is just one of many sub plots which run through the movie and like other films such as Snatch, these sub plots manage to all link together and you understand and appreciate each character even more. The linking point is a car crash and is what the film is named after, yet the crash itself is not the centre point, rather the interaction between the many strong characters, each with their respective thought and prejudices. The film showcases racial intolerance but then goes on to show how punitive these views and prejudices can be. Therefore in effect it seems a positive film despite so controversial topics being dealt with. Indeed it is a worthy Oscar winner.

I didn't know what to expect from Crash so I was fairly open minded when I watched it. I was really pleasantly suprised, the message is clear but not rammed down your throat like in other films. There are lots of famous faces in it that only have bit parts, but the acting was superb. A really good film, that I would consider getting on DVD.

I had the privilege of watching Crash a few nights ago and I'm glad to report that this is a truly wonderful film.

This is a classic ensemble piece which focuses on a set of L.A. citizens whose lives interweave over a 48 hour period.

The film is at times disturbing as well as being moving as it examines race relations in Los Angeles. The film doesn't shy away from examining bigotry and stereotyping however the race issues that are examined are really a backdrop for a collection of fantastic stories that all come together to make Crash a truly outstanding film.

The cast are all superb and no single character dominates the story. Don Cheadle again delivers another utterly convincing portrayal, this time as a compromised world weary detective. Sandra Bullock also puts in her best performance in years showcasing some impressive intensity which I didn't know she had in her! Matt Dillon simply seethes bitterness as a bigoted beat cop and Thandie Newton excels in personifying both rage and vulnerability.

So the big names all delivered, but some of the lesser know actors will also walk away with some serious plaudits. Terrence Howard is brilliant and gives off a really emotive display, full marks as well must go to Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges and Larenze Tate who both superb.

I'm probably doing a disservice to anyone I haven't mentioned but there were so many excellent actors and actresses involved that it would be impossible to list them all!

Paul Haggis has really delivered with this piece of work and it is such a welcome change from some of the unintelligent over the top blockbusters we have had to endure this summer (Mr & Mrs Smith anyone?). A simply must-see movie. Hell, they even got a good performance out of Ryan Phillipe!

Not to be confused with David Cronenberg's disturbing/hilarious 1996 movie of the same name, Crash features fellow Canadian writer/director (and Due South creator) Paul Haggis's big-screen debut. Reportedly inspired by a carjacking at gunpoint in the early 1990's, Haggis has used that experience to craft a gripping urban drama set in Los Angeles that deals with the complexities of race and prejudice in a post 9/11 America. Looking similar in structure to the likes of SHORT CUTS and MAGNOLIA, this sprawling film juggles numerous plotlines and characters as the lives of this multi-ethnic cast intersect in unexpected ways. Given the subject matter, you'd think its release would have been saved for the end of the year in time for awards season, but personally I'm thrilled by the idea of seeing this as a double-feature with something like, say, REVENGE OF THE SITH. Maybe a probing look at American race relations doesn't sound like your idea of a typical summer movie, but it's always good to have something different with which to cleanse the palette. Extra points for that eclectic cast. Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock and rapper Ludacris in the same movie? Most fascinating.

The end result, unfortunately, left me somewhat disappointed. By choosing to focus on so many storylines concurrently in so short a timeframe (at under two hours, this is the rare film that would greatly benefit from a longer running time), two things happen. Too little attention is paid to potentially intriguing characters (e.g. Sandra Bullock, surprisingly strong as the wife of an LA District Attorney feeling disconnected from everyone around her, deserved a longer look), and the plot devices used to connect these ongoing storylines and cause certain characters to interact (or 'crash into each other', hence the title) seem forced and unconvincing at times. Still, you can't fault the actors. The aforementioned Bullock and Cheadle, along with Thandie Newton and Matt Dillon, are standouts in an overall stellar ensemble cast. Also, credit Haggis for writing characters who aren't just purely 'good' or purely 'bad'; he sharply exposes the potential for discrimination and paranoia from the seemingly most noble among us.

Crash's individual tales of alienation, bigotry and (ultimately) hope are often riveting, but sadly the whole doesn't quite exceed the sum of its parts. Still, on the strength of those very potent parts, I'd recommend it. While it's impossible for any one film to fully document and analyze a topic as complex as American race relations, Crash's message that every human being, no matter how seemingly uninformed, has the capacity to find both empathy and redemption is always inspiring.